CPS Superintendent's Update

Dear CPS Community,

I hope you all had a great week even though the weather has been all over the place. While I’m not sure if we would consider this as March coming in like a lion, it looks like things should start to warm up a little bit next week.

Congratulations are in order for several of our students. Last weekend was the All-State Wrestling Tournament, which saw senior Thomas Brown become a four-time state champion in his weight class. The Chelmsford High DECA team had a fantastic showing during the State Career Development Conference in Boston last week and will be sending six members to the International Career Development Conference in Orlando next month. And the CHS Theatre Guild has officially advanced to the semi-final round of the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild’s High School Festival. The next round will take place in Weymouth on Saturday, March 15.

This week, March 2-8, was School Social Worker Week, which celebrates the collective passion of school social workers and the positive impact they have on the lives of students, families and schools. Throughout the school year, the district’s social workers are confronted with various challenges and do an incredible job of rising to the occasion to handle those situations. Please join me in thanking these invaluable members of our team for all they do!

Science and STEM fair season has arrived. South Row Elementary School kicked things off last week with a wonderful showing. Next up will be Center Elementary School holding its science fair on March 12, at 6:30 p.m. And mark your calendars for Parker Middle School’s STEM fair on March 27 at 6:30 p.m. Like many of you, I look forward to science and STEM fair evenings every single year! Our students always come up with incredible projects to showcase for these events, which are free to attend for all.

Lastly, a few quick reminders. Chelmsford High’s Spring sports registration is open and will close on March 13. Next Wednesday, March 12, is a professional development half day, meaning students will be released early. And Daylight Saving Time is this weekend, so we will once again be springing forward one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 9. Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead before you go to sleep Saturday night.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Yours truly,

Jay Lang, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

• Athletics Schedule
• School Committee Meeting: Tuesday, March 11, 6 p.m., Central Administration Offices
• Professional Development Half Day: Wednesday, March 12, Early Release for Students
• Center Elementary School Science Fair: Wednesday, March 12, 6:30 p.m.
• CHS National Honor Society Induction Ceremony: Thursday, March 13, 6:30 p.m., CHS PAC
• Byam Celebrating Us Multicultural Festival: Wednesday, March 19, 6:30 p.m.
  
• Parker Drama Club presents "The Wizard of Oz - Youth Edition": Thursday and Friday, March 20 and 21, 6 p.m.; Saturday, March 22, 2 and 6 p.m., McCarthy Middle School Auditorium
• Council of Chelmsford Schools Meeting: Thursday, March 20, 7 p.m., McCarthy Library

The Chelmsford Public School Committee will meet on Tuesday, March 11, at 6 p.m. at the Central Administration Offices, 230 North Road. The meeting can be viewed on Comcast channel 6 or Verizon channel 37. It will also be live-streamed by Chelmsford Telemedia here.

The agenda for Tuesday's meeting can be found here.

And, if you missed the Feb. 25 School Committee meeting, watch it here:

All students riding the school bus must be registered regardless if a fee is required.

Register Now

Please keep in mind the following:

• All riders must be registered online.
• INCOMPLETE REGISTRATION: Anyone who has received an e-mail message regarding an incomplete bus registration and/or has not completed the registration will not receive a bus pass or be on the driver’s passenger roster.
• ALTERNATE ADDRESS: Any student using an alternate address must contact the transportation department immediately. All riders' addresses are automatically reset to the home address each year. Alternate addresses must be for all 5 days of the week.
• FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: Anyone who has chosen the 'seeking financial assistance' option during registration must apply and be approved for the free and reduced lunch program.

For more information, contact the Transportation Office at 978-251-5100 or by e-mail at brekalisp@chelmsford.k12.ma.us.

Join Parker Middle School for a magical journey down the Yellow Brick Road in "The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition!"
Show Dates & Times:
5th Grade Performances – Thursday, March 20, and Friday, March 21, at 6 p.m.
6th Grade Performances – Saturday, March 22, at 2 & 6 p.m.
Location: McCarthy Auditorium, 250 North Road, Chelmsford
For the first time, each show will feature just one grade - don’t miss this exciting new tradition!

Tickets are available now and can be purchased here.

To view more photos from the Youth Art Month exhibit and reception, please visit our website.

CHS Theatre Guild's production of "Song of Souls" was chosen to advance to the semi-final round of the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild's High School Festival, which will take place on Saturday, March 15, at The Theater at Maria Weston Chapman in Weymouth.

To view photos from the group's recent open dress rehearsal, please visit our website.

To view more photos from Breakfast for Lunch Day, please visit our website.

To view more photos from this year's Read-In, please visit our website.

Six seniors were recently honored as Chelmsford High School named its Lions Pride/Rotary Student of the Month recipients for February. They are Ellora Smith and Blake Downs from Emerson House, Mariya-Antoaneta Neykova and Samantha Blanco of Hawthorne House and Anjana Muraleedaran and Chloe Bentley from Whittier House.

Read more about these students and their successes on our website.

Courtesy of the Council of Chelmsford Schools, Digital Health & Safety expert Katie Greer will return to the district on Tuesday, April 8, to present to our CHS students and rising fifth graders. She will again offer a session for parents/guardians at 7 p.m. that night in the Performing Arts Center (PAC).

While much of Katie's work is directed to a younger audience, she acknowledges that many adults are mystified by the digital world we live in. For this reason, she offers a program that helps parents navigate the new normal of technology.

She aims to help parents who want to better understand the boundaries (and opportunities!) of tech. Some of what she'll discuss includes:

• Updates on the latest tech trends including popular apps, social networking trends, gaming, sexting and more.
• Social media age limitations - and how often kids are breaking them
• Privacy settings, location services, check-ins: Are your devices set-up safely?
• Advice for having real conversations with your child to foster a positive online experience for your family, with suggested restrictions and rules
• Digital health check-in: Is your family doing a good job balancing life and technology? Most KIDS say "NO!"
• Smartphones & Age: What's the average age kids get smartphones? Are there alternatives? Is there a right age for kids to get smartphones?

Learn more about what Katie Greer discussed with the CPS middle school students on January 23rd.

Sketchbook Spectacular is a FREE art initiative open to artists of all ages in the Chelmsford community and beyond. All mediums are welcome, including drawing, watercolor and collage. Participants are encouraged to explore prompts in their sketchbooks, but the prompts can also inspire free-standing artwork. Developed by Parker Middle School artist-educator Ashley Norman, this project is perfect for starting or maintaining an art practice throughout the year. Want to share your work? Email your art to normana@chelmsford.k12.ma.us.

Chelmsford High School is seeking guest speakers to discuss their career journey with a group of Innovation Career Pathway students. CHS is looking for guest speakers in the following fields: Information Technology/Computer Science, Business & Finance, Life Science and Engineering/Manufacturing. If you have experience in any of these fields and are interested in sharing your career and career path with high school students, please reach out to Career and College Readiness Facilitator, Alex Cunningham at cunninghamalex@chelmsford.k12.ma.us.

This year, Massachusetts is offering all school lunch and breakfast at no charge to students. This does not automatically make families eligible for any other benefits. Families that feel they are eligible for transportation or extended day reduced tuition are strongly encouraged to fill out the online free and reduced meal application.

The Chelmsford High School DECA Chapter returned home triumphant on Saturday, March 1, from the 66th annual Massachusetts DECA State Career Development Conference (SCDC) in Boston, with six students qualifying for the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Orlando, Florida. In total, 21 Chelmsford students joined over 4,000 students, advisors and business professionals for the three-day conference to compete in over 50 categories of marketing, hospitality, finance and entrepreneurship. Chelmsford DECA earned seven medallions for a top score on the comprehensive exam or role play, seven Top-12 Finalist medallions, and three State Champion trophies.

To learn more about the CHS DECA teams success, please visit our website.

Chelmsford giant Thomas Brown (285) joined Sid Tildsley as a four-time champion with another impressive victory.

It was perhaps the most electrifying tilt of the weekend. The last match of the day, all eyes were on Brown’s battle against Alex Bajoras of St. John’s Prep. A late takedown ultimately secured the 5-2 decision.

“I knew I had to stay cool,” Brown said. “Couldn’t let anything get to me. I knew it was going to be a tough match coming into it. I had to fight every second and every minute of that match to come out with the win.”

Brown, a Villanova football commit, hopes to cap off a memorable high school career on the mat at New Englands. He cited his vast support system for his continued dominance.

Continue reading at LowellSun.com.

The Chelmsford Public Schools utilizes SchoolSpring to advertise job postings and the online application process. To apply for any of our positions, please visit our website.

The CPS Health Services Department is committed to providing evidence-based/ best practice holistic nursing care to the unique, culturally diverse students of Chelmsford Public Schools. In collaboration with all stakeholders, we advocate for their safety and healthcare needs. We are dedicated professionals who are committed to bridging health care with education and making a positive impact on the present and future wellness of Chelmsford’s school community. Please visit the Health Services page on the website for all your health services needs.

The cold/flu season is upon us at Chelmsford Public Schools. We want to keep your children and our teachers healthy. Here are some ways we can work together to decrease the spread of illness.

• Use good hand hygiene and wash hands frequently.
• Cover coughs with a tissue or cough into sleeve not your hand.
• Keep your child home when sick (Symptoms such as fever cough, sore throat, bad headache, body aches, or chills)

• Keep your child home with a temperature of 100 degrees or higher. Your child can return to school after their temp is < 100 for 24 hours without any fever reducing medicine AND when your child is able to participate in normal activities.

• Keep your child home from school if they have vomiting and/or diarrhea. Your child can return to school 24 hours after his/her last vomiting and/or diarrhea episode.

Any symptoms that persist or worsen should be evaluated by a primary care physician. Please notify our offices if your student is diagnosed with the flu by their doctor.

In addition to academics, we know students are very busy with sports and activities. Please do not send your student to school sick! This is for your child’s benefit and for the benefit of other students, teammates, and staff.

**** It is not too late to get the Flu Vaccine****

These virtual events are part of Cartwheel's free webinar series for parents, caregivers and school staff.

Sometimes, big feelings can take over a household. Sometimes they're our kids' feelings, and sometimes they're our own!

Join Cartwheel and Janine Halloran, LMHC for a webinar to learn practical tips on how to help kids and teens cope with big feelings.

By starting from a foundation of connection and co-regulation, Janine will provide strategies you can teach your kids (and yourself) for noticing, welcoming, and neutralizing big emotions before they take over the household. Attend this webinar if you are hopeful for more peace and patience and less arguing in your home.

Register here.

More than 75 colleges and universities sent representatives to Chelmsford High School this fall to meet with students interested in continuing their education at a post-secondary institution. To learn more, check out the College Visit Schedule.

Follow the CHS Career and College Readiness Center on Instagram: @chs.careercenter

Here are some noteworthy events and activities taking place around Chelmsford in the coming weeks:

There are a plethora of local youth sports and scouting organizations that hold fundraisers and recruiting events throughout the school year. Some may also be seeking volunteers. If you're a parent looking for social and skill-building opportunities for your child or children, we have launched a new webpage devoted to just that. In addition to event information, this resource page will also feature links to all the websites or social media accounts for youth sports leagues and scouting troops. So head on over there and check it out!

Looking for information about the ongoing Parker Middle School Building Project? Visit our website to learn more and stay updated. And if you missed the public information session that was held in the spring, during which Superintendent Dr. Jay Lang shared a plethora of information, view it here:

Chelmsford High School has a cashless system for admittance to its regular season home athletic events. To get your tickets, CHS has partnered with GoFan.co, a digital, cashless ticketing app used by more than 10,000 schools, for fast and convenient payments for regular season home games. CHS fans are encouraged to download the GoFan app. For Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association postseason tournaments, the MIAA also utilizes GoFan.co as its own ticketing system. Visit the MIAA Ticket Information page.

The mission of the Chelmsford Public Schools is to educate, engage, prepare, and empower well-rounded and knowledgeable learners who PERSEVERE through challenges, demonstrate RESPECT and INTEGRITY in their words and actions, are DEDICATED to their community, and display EMPATHY as global citizens while discovering and pursuing their full potential.

Email: information@chelmsford.k12.ma.us
Website: https://chelmsfordschools.org
Location: 230 North Road, Chelmsford, MA, USA
Phone: (978) 251-5100
Facebook: facebook.com/chelmsfordpublicschools

Instagram: @chelmsfordpublicschools X: @CPSchoolsMA